Milk $2.89...gas $2.00 gallon last week!!!

Yup.... try $3.89 a gallon and $2.14 for the gas here... But Aldi is still under $3 for the milk if you have one close enough to bother... Rest of dairy and eggs are shortly to follow, though they've gone up, they will jump in the next week or so as well.

One has to remember that when just about everything is delivered by truck, the farmer isn't making a single extra cent, but everything... and that means EVERYTHING else will cost more... I don't know how long I can afford these prices either, but its hard to find a dairy farmer around here that will sell direct... that would be an option if you have one near you!!! His prices will be a lot lower than any store.... at least the probably will be (his costs have risen, but his prices haven't kept up by FAR...)

I would not switch out milk to soda or to tea, though whatever harm from the caffeine isn't my problem... Tea, despite its caffeine is beneficial (green tea moreso, but limit severely or you'll need to pump the septic!). You would have to watch the kids, though... Its the 9 tablespoons of PROCESSED sugar in most sodas and the added sugar to the tea that would bother me. Caffeine is addictive, though.

What about powdered milk? I've concocted some near-perfect tasting powdered milk by mixing it with a little warmed honey... Or you could stretch the 'real thing' by mixing up a batch of powdered, and going half and half with regular milk. If you have spare containers, you can freeze it, too (only fill the bottles about half full - even plastic ones).

Are goats an option???? Believe me... If it were humanly possible in this backward area, I would have at least one!! But I can't even have a hen.

Anyway you look at it, you cannot maintain your health and cut out all dairy products!! Soy milk isn't much cheaper than cow or goat milk, so any way you go, you'll still need to put some in somewhere. It will take some research... There are other ways to get both the calcium and the Vitamin D, but I don't remember off the top of my head. There are also other sugars and proteins in milk that are beneficial to health....

You need the calcium and the Vitamin D (formed when you drink milk and then get lots of fresh air and sunshine) - and children need it as much if not more than you do. Simply cannot risk going without - you need it daily.

Calcium is not only necessary for growing and maintaining bones & bone structure, but also for muscle tone, building blood and nervous function. DON'T RISK IT - especially not with the kids.

Don't know what to say about the car issue - We've been a one car family (only 2) for over a year... and also 'one-income'. DH has a just over broke about 45 miles from here, and I am self-employed doing Watkins, Civil War and farmer's markets... He usually manages to find a ride home when I have to be away. Other than taking him to the train, the car only goes out of the drive to get me to my sales area. I do the shopping etc on the way home from the train, or it doesn't get done.

Standard stuff.... make sure the oil is changed (and is full), get the regular maintenance, keep the filters clean, make sure the tires are at optimum pressure, and use the lowest octane your manual allows. Combine as much driving into one trip as possible, plan the route beforehand, and let sit otherwise... Other than that, someone with more knowledge might have some better ideas.

Sue

Milk is $3-4/gal here depending where you shop. Gas.......the cheapest I can fine right now is $2.18, and when I drove up to Santa Barbara yesterday I couldn't see any gas for less than $2.39. Hang onto your hats.......we will see gas >$3.00 by summer.

We of course are complaining of the same thing with a family of 6...Milk is almost $4 a gallon for store brand and it is $5 for commercial like Sealtest or Maola. Gas is around $1.82. It sounds to me, since you were saying that you only shop every 2 weeks that you are already conserving gas. We are also...since most of the people on the web-site probably do not live in town...it makes a big difference in "running to the store" whe the store is miles away. I combine as many trips as possible. If i need something from town I do my best to put it off until i need to go for another reason...Dr.s appt, etc. For the best in money saving tips you can't hardly beat "The Tightwad Gazette" book series. (I, II, and III) If you haven't read them go to the library and check them out.

We moved 3 months ago and have had to do some updating and repairs to our new home...we are getting a milk goat this week and hens will be coming soon.
Egg prices are horrible also since this "no carb' diet has made them so popular.
We have a small garden...I am making lasagna beds (which are turning out GREAT!) but i probably will not can goods until next year.

The powdered milk is a definite option. When you buy milk do you buy whole or skim?? If you use skim already then the change isn't to bad at all. I did not hide it from my children that I was making milk...they thought it was cool and I never heard a complaint form them. I have had to mix it 1/2 and 1/2 with regular milk for my hubby though. But he weaned over fine. He is the one I couldn't "tell" if i was making powdered milk!!! I am sure that the goats milk will be a big change in taste...I have heard so many bad things about the taste lately that I am almost terrified to taste it...BUT, it will not stop me. If we have to do the mixing thing with regular milk until we adapt to the taste...so be it.

Good Luck!

hey all,

milk is about 0.45 euro a liter (2 usd/gallon),
gas is about 1.27 euro a liter (5.67 usd/gallon)

and dont even ask about the prices for tabaco products :waa: they went up another 25% last month.

regards henk

Howdy cheri.....ever consider raising rabbits?....for food and may be able to sell a few to pet shops.....start out with 2 does and 1 buck..try californians or newzealands......wont coat ya much in feed if ya just keep the 3 and dress out the kits at 6-8 weeks old....keep them on pellets and stop feeding 48 hours prior to slaughter but make sure they have water at all times..as far as milk...i feel yer pains...we are looking into getting milk goats but many farmers have come to see that they can now raise the price of them due to the larger interest!...can also try to go shopping with a friend...1 car...take turns..save on gas...well good luck...dale anne

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dale anne

We have watered whole milk in the past, before we had goats. We would buy a gallon and split it into another jug and fill to top with water. We found this easier and tastier than boxed powdered milk. Also condensed milk at a liquidation center can also be a bargain...just add water. Vitamins are also another thing that can be purchased cheap to insure good nutrition.

You might think about a couple mini goats. Plenty of milk and yogurt and cheese. And they arent any more expensive than a dog and they enjoy mowing lawns and brush!

I think America has lived lavishly for too long and all bad habits eventually bite you in the butt....on the wallet side!

Grrr...I respectfully disagree. We are mammals, we are designed to use milk of our own kind until weened. We are not now nor ever have been dependent on milk of other mammals (cows, dogs, cats, etc. arent dependent on other mammals milk are they?) although it could sometimes be used as a substitute or supplement for infants if mothers milk is deficient in quantity or quality.

Our bodies produce vitamin D when our skin is exposed to sunlight whether we drink milk or not.

Milk consumption is traditional in arid countries and in northern cold climate countries simply because it is more convenient to convert grass to food through animals. Milk is one of byproducts and can be conveniently stored as cheese. Its also much more condusive to a nomadic culture as these folk migrate to greener pastures along with their herd. A cornfield will not migrate with you. Much of the world consume little or no milk and is not the less healthy for it. Wont even get into the chemical and hormone laden cooked stuff they sell as milk in this country. I have a notion but no direct proof that the stuff sold as milk here in this country does far more damage than good for ones body. The idea that one NEEDS this ultra processed dairy is dairy council propaganda.

I am lactose intolerant so obviously I dont feel good if I consume any significant dairy. However aged cheese has little or no lactose, but I dont feel good if I consume any significant amount of it. Listen to ones body, it will tell you if something is good to consume in any quantity. I used to occasionally use coffee from a can. God only knows whats in it, but I could tell it wasnt particularly good for me, my body mildly protested, so I didnt drink it often. Since switching to quality organic beans that I roast and grind myself, I dont get that semi-queasy feeling. I'm not saying coffee is a health food but there must be something in the commercial stuff not in organic stuff that my body didnt appreciate.

By way soymilk is not a necessity either, but if you make your own from soybeans, it is far cheaper than cowmilk. I havent done recent pricing on it, but used to be you could make your own for like 15cents per GALLON. What you are describing as soymilk is the expensive boughten ultra processed stuff doctored with added sugars, flavorings, and thickeners. Real soymilk is not particularly sweet and has a distinct "beany" flavor. It does not taste like mammal milk.

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"What would you do with a brain if you had one?" -Dorothy

"Well, then ignore what I have to say and go with what works for you." -Eliot Coleman

i would not buy powdered, skim or 2% milk. powdered milk is rancid, the cholesterol has been oxidized and is extremely unhealthy. skim, 1% and 2% milk has added powdered milk to give it body,b ecause otherwise it would look and taste like water. this doesn't have to be listed on the ingredients because it is an industry wide practice and i guess they accept it as the norm. makes me mad.

if you want an alternative, take a can of coconut milk, dilute with as much water as you find palatable, and try that. it's got a ton of healthy fats in it, cheap ($1 per can!) and useful. i don't drink dairy because i believe you should only drink raw dairy (i eat raw cheese cuz i can get that) and i can't find any right now. plus, it's always better to find a local farmer and get food from him. you don't pay any middle men

www.realmilk.com
has a locator for raw fresh dairy in your area...

Sunny, whats a lasagna bed?
Reminds me of the city kid who found a pile of milk bottles in the ditch & swore he'd found a cows nest!

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No lotus land ever cast its spell upon a man's heart more than Wyoming had enchanted mine.-The Virginian-Owen Wister-

You can make your own "rice milk" too. When you make rice and pour off the water you can use it like milk - that's all the stuff labeled Rice Milk in the store is anyway.

I have a friend who's lactose intolerant and only used milk on her cereal, so, she substitutes apple juice and that way she gets the sweet taste and makes it wet enough to eat.
My Mom used to buy the canned milk and water it down, like Milnot or Pet's milk. I guess it really depends on what you're using it for and how many children are at home.
As far as the calcium and vitamins go, any dark green vegetable like spinach, brocolli, etc. gives you plenty of these if you eat enough. I think the problem has become that Americans just don't eat enough "green" food anymore.

Our local Winn Dixie, has in the past marked their brand milk down to 1.00 (gallon) and .50 for half gallon, when they get close to their sell by dates. A couple of years ago, they had yogurt with 50 cent off coupons stuck to them, lo and behold the yogurt was 2/1.00 that week. Talk about free!!!!!!!! But they dont do that anymore, wonder why. Barb

You mean lime koolaid and green m/m's dont count?

I agree, even though I love to drink milk, and do. At least we are buying organic now, even though it is still cooked. A friend gives me a half gallon of raw cream every now and then though. My dad can't get near milk, wheat, or corn.
I also love oatmeal, eat it every morning with honey, real maple syrup, and a dab of butter.

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This morning I stopped by the store and gas station on my way home from work. Milk is now $3.59, and the cheap gas is $1.79
I have never really bought milk, so this isnt really gonna hurt our kids. Except for the occasional treat of milk/cereal I would get them. We are looking at getting a cow/goat soon though. I use water in most of my cooking. Milk really isnt missed. Sure, it give stuff a little better flavor/body, but water works great. For everything from cornbread to cakes....
I agree that trucks and cars are way too high to buy. I will NEVER buy a new car, just because it ticks me off to pay more for a car than a house.....

I think we are woefully innocent of just how much hormones/chemicals end up in that gallon of milk we drink. Think about this: Have you noticed the kids maturing faster than they used to? Oh yea, they do. hormones, they are introduced into the milk, and passed on to the kids. Well, I know that isnt all either. What about the antibodies used on the cows??? You have to think about the properties of milk, what does and doesnt it filter? antibodies and hormones are natural occurances, and thus the milk making process inside the cow does not filter them out. So, we as a nation are getting super quantities of these things. Ever wonder why common flu's and stuff are resisting treatments?
Too much exposure to antibodies. I could go on, but I wont bore ya'll...

As far as eating/shopping cheap, Everything we do to help ourselves will make it cheap. Raise our own meat - rabbits and chickens are excellent - raise our own veggies/fruit. Shop the good buys. Go and get the specials, and keep yourself from getting those impulse buys. I NEVER take the kids. That way, I dont give in and say "OK" just to shut them up. I have enough trouble keeping myself under control!
Our big problem is, we rely on everyone else. We rely on our employer for our money/insurance. We rely on the big dairies and farms for our food, we rely on TU Electric and Ma Bell, we rely, we rely,,,, Not many in this big nation are self sufficient any more.... There are those of us who try, but what majority % are we? I think maybe the numbers are growing, but are relitively small...
I know I am preaching to the choir, so I will hush!

Gas in Sask Canada is 89.9 cents a liter so figure its 4 liters to a gallon that is $3.59 a gallon

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When you're pickin' a workin' horse, look for one named Screwtail, Stump Sucker, Pat's Ass, Pearly Gates, Liver Pill, or Darlin' Jill. Leave the Champions and Silvers for the show ring.
A man is not born a cowboy he becomes one.

We have a friend that used to work in the dairy industry. He is for the rise in milk because the "dairy farmer's have been starving for too long". He said it doesn't bother him one bit to pay $4.65 for a gallon of milk. First of all, he's a mooch and doesn't buy milk anyway and second, I have 5 kids. If we go through 4 gallons/week, that's almost $80/month for milk. That's about what I pay for meat! I said something about getting a milk cow and he said "why would you want to do that". I told him I have to worry about supporting my own family, not that of the dairy farmer. Don't get me wrong, I think it's good that the dairy farmer makes some more money. But if I can find a cheaper alternative I will.

The cost of the milk in the store will not make him get more money as the Dairy Farmers are paid a flat fee per hundred weight of milk and sometimes extra for the butter fat content. I know goat milk plants are paying around $20.50 a hundred weight and I believe the cow milk plants are paying even less.
Once the Milk leaves his farm he makes no extra for what the stores sell it. The only thing that the high Price of milk is doing is going to make it that americans will buy less. Then the milk company's wont be buying alot so it will put the smaller dairies out of buisness and just have the big corporations selling milk to the plants. Then watch out as the will be able to charge alot more in the stores then
JMHO

Joe

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When you're pickin' a workin' horse, look for one named Screwtail, Stump Sucker, Pat's Ass, Pearly Gates, Liver Pill, or Darlin' Jill. Leave the Champions and Silvers for the show ring.
A man is not born a cowboy he becomes one.

Mama Johnson listed the reasons that I buy organic milk at the store. Also grapes are sprayed with hormones to, thats why they get so big.

Are you sure?!

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The 7th Day is still God's Sabbath
ICOG7.ORG
Layton Hollow ADGA Nubians
Taking Reservation for 2015!

Milk here is ranging from $2.69 a gallon to $3.99 a gallon at various supermarkets. Our regular unleaded gas is ranging from $1.81 to $1.87 a gallon. We are cutting back as much as we can right now.

Michele

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Michele,
Mom of Michael, David & Anthony